Seminar committee receives USPOULTRY Lamplighter Award

Several
members of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s Financial Management Seminar
planning committee received the organization’s Lamplighter Award during the
2015 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production &
Processing Expo. The Lamplighter Award is presented for “sustained and
exemplary service” to the poultry and egg industry.

It
is a different approach to the annual Lamplighter Award – recognizing a group of
individuals, members of the USPOULTRY Financial Management Seminar planning committee
with continued personal involvement for the last two decades, plus.

“We
are pleased to recognize their enduring service in one of our longest-running
and most popular industry seminars,” said 2014 USPOULTRY chairman, Elton
Maddox, Wayne Farms, in making the presentations. “These individuals represent
a legacy of service of many more who have made significant contributions to the
seminar over the years and to whom we are also grateful.”

This
year’s honorees are:

Bob Childress, Frost PLLC – Childress is a graduate of
Arkansas State University with a B.S. in business administration and a M.S. in accounting.
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and
Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He worked at KPMG Peat
Marwick as senior manager before joining Frost PLLC in 1991, where he currently
serves as chief financial officer. In addition to serving on the USPOULTRY Financial
Management Seminar planning committee, Chidress is actively involved with a
variety of professional and civic organizations.

Alan Duncan, Mountaire Farms – Duncan is a graduate of
Southern Arkansas University with a B.B.A. in accounting. He spent 24 years at Frost
PLLC with many of his clients being companies in the poultry industry. He left
Frost and joined Mountaire Farms, where he served as CFO for 13 years. Duncan
is now senior vice president. He is a board member of USPOULTRY and the
National Chicken Council (NCC). He has served on the Financial Management
Seminar planning committee for many years.

Eddie Elrod, Fieldale Farms – Elrode is vice president,
chief financial officer and treasurer for Fieldale Farms in Baldwin, Georgia.
He received his finance and accounting degrees from Piedmont College. His
career began in 1982, and past company positions include credit manager,
internal auditor, controller and treasurer. In the community, he has served on
boards representing the American Red Cross, the company’s credit union, P230
Foundation and Georgia Baptist Convention. Elrod has also been an enthusiastic
supporter of USPOULTRY programs, having spoken at various workshops in addition
to participating in the planning for the annual financial seminar.

Greg Finch, Claxton Poultry – Finch is chief financial
officer for Claxton Poultry in Claxton, Georgia. He received his B.S. in accounting
from Bob Jones University. Before joining Claxton Poultry in 2011, he served as
division controller for Waffle House and CFO for Harrison Poultry. Greg has
served on the Financial Management Seminar planning committee for many years.

Steve Jurek, GNP Company – Jurek is the current president
of GNP Company, formerly known as Gold'n Plump Poultry. He joined the company
in 1977, where he held a variety of positions including controller, vice
president of finance and administration, chief financial officer,
secretary/treasurer and executive vice president of operations and
administration. He was named president in 2014. He holds a bachelor of arts
degree from Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, Minnesota, and a MBA with
a finance emphasis from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. Jurek
is a certified management accountant and board member of the Midwest Poultry
Consortium, Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence and Boy Scouts of America.
He began his career in accounting at Fingerhut Corporation, Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Jurek has served on the Financial Management Seminar planning committee for
many years.

Mike Popowycz, Case Farms – Popowycz is vice chairman
& CFO for Case Foods in Troutman, North Carolina. After receiving his B.A.
in accounting from Moravian College, he started his career at Perdue Farms,
serving in various accounting and tax positions for seven years. He moved on to
Bell Atlantic Corporation for two years, and in 1987, joined Case Foods. He has
served as corporate controller, corporate treasurer, chief financial officer,
and in 2012 became vice chairman & CFO. He was elected to the Case Foods
board of directors in 2005 and to the NCC board of directors in June 2012. He
currently serves as the secretary-treasurer of the NCC. Popowycz has been a
supporter of USPOULTRY programs and has volunteered on USPOULTRY’s Financial
Management Seminar planning committee for years.

Ron Van Es, Tyson Foods – Van Es is a graduate of
Arkansas Tech University with a B.S. in Accounting. He began his poultry
career as an accountant with Valmac Industries in Russellville, Arkansas, in
1973. Valmac was purchased by Tyson Foods in 1984. Van Es is a senior group
controller and has worked with live, processing and inventory accounting the
past 30 years at Tyson’s corporate office in Springdale, Arkansas, and has
served on the planning committee of the USPOULTRY Financial Management Seminar
during this time.

Seals Burdell, USPOULTRY – Burdell received a BBA in
Accounting from Georgia State University and is a member of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Georgia Society of Certified
Public Accountants. He began his poultry industry career in accounting with
Gold Kist in1976, ultimately advancing to controller of poultry operations.
Following the purchase of Gold Kist by Pilgrim’s Pride in 2007, he worked with
Pilgrim’s as controller for their distribution company and fresh food service
plants before joining USPOULTRY in 2010. Burdell has served on the Financial Management Seminar planning
committee since early in his Gold Kist years and continues to this day.
Additionally, since joining the Association in 2010, Burdell has streamlined and updated the internal financial
processes, making the Association more efficient in serving the industry.